


Grounders of Music

by forgot_my_art



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Artist Clarke Griffin, Eventual Clarke Griffin/Lexa, F/F, Modern Setting Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Musician Lexa (The 100), Shy Lexa (The 100)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29609316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgot_my_art/pseuds/forgot_my_art
Summary: Clarke Griffin: 21 years old, fashion design major, her nickname? Party girl griffin. She wears leather jackets, the ends of her hair dyed pink, so of course she knows the infamous band the Grounders. The band started out anonymous. Now the only unknown member is the guitarist/background vocals.Unknown to Clarke, it’s Lexa, her shy, dorky, awkward roommate.
Relationships: Anya/Luna/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	1. My Obnoxious Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want me to write something, or maybe just wanna ask, my tumblr is forgotmyart  
> https://forgotmyart.tumblr.com/

“I think it’s a she, and she’s probably hot as all fuck like the main vocalist, Lincoln”, Octavia declares over brunch on a Saturday. Clarke rolls her eyes. It isn’t like they haven’t had this same debate several times already. She just continues cutting into her eggs diligently.

Raven’s utensils clatter to the table as she sets them down and launches into a tirade. “No way! What are the chances of a family business naming a female heir? Plus, he’d probably be the stuck up looking kind of person like the drummer Anya.” There is a pause.

Having grown up in a poor environment, Raven is convinced that most rich people are pretentious and obnoxious, and the guitarist of this band has unfortunately been outed in a slip up by their band vocalist as the heir of the biggest entertainment company in the world, Woods Entertainment. This is slightly unfair to whomever this person really was, because really they don’t even know this person’s face right now.

Then as fast as lightning, Raven’s fork is stealing a sausage from Clarke’s plate. “Hey!” Clarke cries out in protest. The loss of her sausage is devastating. “And for the record why can’t they be nonbinary?” 

“Sorry, need my brain food for physics later”, Raven says, sticking her tongue out back, having already devoured the piece of food. Then she turns her head back to Octavia to continue their discussion over the mysterious grounder guitarist.

Clarke shakes her head She has no interest in speculating about this guitarist, despite how good their musical talents were. It wasn’t like she was ever going to meet them right? Oh boy was she wrong.

-0-

Lexa’s eyes follow Clarke as she brushes her hair humming to the newest Grounder song. Of course Lexa remembers the entire thing, she had been practicing it just yesterday evening. What is one supposed to say to the girl that they think sings their song better than them?

She should really be doing her marketing class, but she can’t take her eyes off of Clarke. Oh, how her heart longs to just ask Clarke if she wants to come to practice tonight, but she knows by the way Clarke has showered with her strawberry shampoo and is now shrugging on a leather jacket over her tank top and tattooed wrists that she is going out to a party. Heck, Lexa even considers asking to go with Clarke.

Instead she shakes her head and turns back to her laptop, only looking up when the door has clicked shut behind Clarke. That’s the thing about Clarke. You’d assume the person with the campus-wide nickname “party-girl” would be obnoxious as all heck, but she’s the mindful and conscious type of roommate.

This is when Lexa unfolds her legs from underneath her, pulling her duffel bag and guitar case out from underneath her bed. She always made sure her schedule matched with Clarke’s so that Clarke never saw her sneaking out or pulling out her guitar. Lexa even double checks down the hall that nobody is there before she hurries to her beat up Honda in the parking lot.

As she drives, she laments her newfound place in a category called  _ useless lesbian _ .

-0-

“Uh oh. Looks like we’re going to hear about the Griffin girl again”, Anya teases when Lexa steps in with her brow creased. The garage door closes behind her as quietly as possible, leaving her in a giant three door garage half filled with their instruments and equipment, and the other half occupied by Lincoln’s prized muscle car.

Luna playfully smacks Anya in the back of her head. “Leave her alone, she’s just being her hopeless self.”

Lexa dumps her duffel on the ground near the couch where Lincoln is downing a gatorade. The three of them probably have just come from physical training to keep their appearances up in front of their ever-growing fanbase, judging by the way Anya and Luna’s hair is still wet. She starts setting up her guitar as she answers, “Look, there’s no way I would have a chance with somebody like that.” It’s true to Lexa. Why would somebody so free willed like Lexa, the quintessential good girl student?

Anya snorts and gets up from her stool behind the drum set, slinging an arm around Lexa’s shoulders. “Bet ya she would be all over you if she saw you on stage before Titus banned you to, and I quote, ‘Protect the future CEO’s identity’”. She lowers her voice to imitate Titus’ voice. To be able to imagine this imitation accurately, one must recall the annoying unpleasantness of the sounds that Titus’ vocal chords create in the first place, and then top it with the mockery and incorrect nasal accents that Anya adds.

Lexa’s throat tightens as she looks up at her bandmates. She knows it was for her own good. Titus had given her a chance to actually experience college before being thrown into the public eye. This way she won’t be hounded. Yet, she still missed those anonymous days performing on the weekends that they didn’t have schools at local bars. If it weren’t for her, they could be performing on stages live still. She can remember like it is yesterday.

_ The stage is hot and the patrons loud in the bar. Lexa looks around to her bandmates. They are in their usual get up for performances. All black and warpaint-like makeup. It is their signature. The sweat running down the back of her tank top to wear it is tucked into her black leather pants is part of the thrill. Anya catches Lexa and Luna’s eyes as she taps her drumsticks together, clicking off and starting the song off with a strong rhythm Luna jumps in first and then Lexa. _

_ Lincoln grabs the mic and croons into it beautifully, moving with the beat as if it is a part of his body. The beat resonates in Lexa’s bones as well and she leans forward to start singing the harmony part as they continue. _

_ There was a thrill to performing on stage that Lexa would never get over. It felt as if everything was all right as they stood on the stages of these bars and pubs. It was just the four of them within this spotlight performing for the darkness outside. It didn’t matter who or how little or much was out there in the darkness. _

-0-

Clarke’s lips tilt into a quirk as she walks down the hallway from her dorm room to the party a few blocks over at Bellamy Blake’s apartment. Of course she saw the way Lexa watched her ever since she came out of the shower drying her hair. It wasn’t hard to notice how Lexa immediately cast her eyes back down and blushed every time she was “almost” caught. Each time she would do so, her glasses would slide down a little on her nose.

She doesn’t know why, but she looks forward to coming back to the dorms late at night to have Lexa waiting for her. She likes it so much that she has stopped drinking as much. Of course she is still tipsy, but not nearly as drunk as she pretends to be when she comes back. Clarke likes the way the girl’s eyes soften and helps her into bed gently and carefully folds the blankets over her.

There is no good reason why she acts this way around a girl she barely talks to. Yet she still does. It’s like those people who still are obsessed with that one character that died years ago in the show. The show has ended, but they still post about it. Why? Certainly not because it is therapeutic. Exactly, there is no real definable reason.

Clarke should thank the girl, but taking her to a party hardly seemed like a proper thank you. Imagine that, Lexa squeezing through the throngs of people in the pulsing music. The idea of Lexa dancing on the dance floor seems as absurd as a blue platypus in a fedora. It just didn’t seem like Lexa’s scene. Nope, not ever studious Lexa who seemed to only study or fall asleep watching Netflix on her computer. Perhaps a coffee. Yeah, a coffee, Clarke decides, because it doesn’t have to mean anything, but it certainly can.

-0-

The next morning Lexa wakes up to a cup of coffee and a sticky note on her desk. Her roommate is nowhere to be seen. In the most beautiful hand-writing she has ever seen, it says, “Thanks getting my obnoxious ass back into bed ;)”, and yes the winky face is drawn on as well.

Lexa’s heart runs a mile a minute. Clarke had known the entire time? Ever since the beginning, Lexa had just assumed that Clarke was always so black out drunk that she never remembered being tucked in the morning after. 

She picks up the coffee, still warm through the cardboard in her hands. It couldn’t possibly mean anything right? No it couldn’t. They barely talked.

She takes a sip of the coffee. How is even coffee more perfect when it is Clarke who ordered it for her from the Starbucks across the street? Lexa revels in the taste of the coffee that is just to her taste. How did Clarke know what coffee she liked?

A signature message notification ring from her phone pops her bubble. Lexa groans when she it opens to her group chat with the rest of the Grounders.

Annoying Anya: So when are you going to show us your dorm, you punk?

Moon Moon: I want to see it too.

Muscle Man: I’d drive. We can sneak in.

Moon Moon: You’re kidding right? That’s too noticeable, we’d get recognized in five seconds.


	2. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa gets jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, my chapter titles get continuously worse. Oops.

Lexa knows she has chosen wrong to give in when the first thing Anya does isn’t flop onto the bed but to read the post-it note from Clarke that is still on her desk. She has pulled her hood off already. “Winky face???” Anya says incredulously, waving the note in her face. “Since when were you into something so cheesy?”  
Lexa scowls and snaps, “I don’t know what you mean. And give that back.” She would snatch it back if she weren’t so scared of wrinkling it.  
Luna is unwinding the scarf off of her head, “She’s right though. Where’d cool and cold ‘I’m too good to fall in love’ Lexa go?” She doesn’t really look up at either of them, opting to study her scarf instead.  
Lexa knew what they meant. She had been drastically different once upon a time, but she preferred the quiet lifestyle she had right now. She wanted to enjoy it while she still could. Didn’t she? Except she’s not so sure when she thinks of how Clarke might look at her if she got back out there. She’s not sure when she thinks of all the fun she could be having in the parties that Clarke goes to. When she thinks of Clarke she could imagine possibly enjoying a life like that.  
Lexa internally dragged her thoughts to a screeching halt. There are practically sparks flying in her brain from the abrupt stop. Nope. She was content with right now. “Nowhere. I’m not looking for love.”  
It’s Luna’s turn to look at her dubiously. “Love finds you when you least expect it.”  
Lexa sighs, “Yes, yes I’ve heard it. I think we’ve all heard that one before.” She knows Luna only means well, but sometimes her philosophical phrases did not help her inner conflict.  
Lexa takes a mental note that Anya has not so subtly situated herself on Lexa’s bed next to Luna, a little closer than normal. “She’s right, but I promise you if you’d only let me dress you in the old clothes of yours that you threw in my basement before coming here, you’d be boning her in no time”, Anya chips in with a sly grin. Anya means well and always does, but she suspects that half of it is that Anya wants her space back as well.  
Luna wrinkles her nose in distaste at Anya’s tactics, “She doesn’t need to lie or dress differently to get a girl to like her. That’s so superficial.”  
Anya opens her mouth to snipe back, but Lincoln who has been setting up the gaming console on the TV intejects before she can speak. “You two need to either get out of here and finish your lovers quarrel at your own place where you can have makeup sex, or get your ass over here and grab a controller, cause this game can’t wait.”  
Both Luna and Anya scowl at that, leaping away from each other on the bed as if they weren’t so close they were practically in each other’s laps before-hand. “We are NOT a couple”, Anya insists.  
“Exactly, I have more dignity than that”, Luna adds with a haughty air as if the two of them haven’t known each other forever and been in the same band for years now. They are practically in the same boat.  
Anya takes immediate offense. Seriously, when would the two of them get over their bickering? It wouldn’t surprise Lexa if their opposite personalities, one indignantly peaceful and the other passionately aggressive would clash into sparks of a relationship. At least that way she and Lincoln wouldn’t have to listen to their insufferable bickering. Alas, so far it has not happened, and the future forecast does not predict it will stop anytime soon.

-0-

Clarke is chatting with Octavia as they head back to her room after studio class when her friend suddenly walks into somebody. She can practically see the entire thing in slow motion as Octavia falls backward, arms flailing, catching the edge of his cap, bringing it off his head and fluttering to the floor. He lurches forward to catch her in a dip. They stare at each other, eyes wide in shock. They are so close together they could kiss. Anyone could practically hear the cliche romantic music that could be playing if this were a movie. Heck, wedding bells might as well be tolling.  
It isn’t until there is a sharp click of a phone camera from the gathering crowd that they snap out of their reverie. Whispers sound throughout the crowd.  
“Holy shit, it’s Lincoln.”  
“A Grounder is here, what are the odds.”  
“How the heck does Lexa Woods know the hottest Grounder?”  
Lincoln eases Octavia back to her feet before bending down quickly to reclaim his cap. He fiddles with it, glancing at Lexa to give him an indication of what to do. She steps forward and starts to open her mouth, but Octavia intervenes, “I got this.”  
She turns around to the crowd, “Nothing to see here! Continue gawking and I will personally make sure you will all be uninvited from all the parties any delinquent throws in the future.” Lexa’s shoulders sag in relief. Perhaps she didn’t like speaking up in front of people? It would make sense with how shy she was.  
The students start scurrying off down the hall and Lexa murmurs to Lincoln “Let’s go, before they come back and there’s no escape.” She has to practically pry him away from Octavia. It’s almost like their eyes are just glued to each other’s.

-0-

Lexa doesn’t think about Anya’s offer to dress her up until a few days later. There is knocking on the door as Lexa attempts to get through homework. The key word is attempted because Clarke has plopped onto her bed and is scrolling through her phone and Lexa can’t help but sneak a peek once in a while at Clarke.  
She pushes the notebooks off her lap and ambles over to yank open the door, pretty sure it’s another one of Clarke’s friends asking her to spontaneously go out again. Nope. It is an all too familiar face. “Niylah?”Lexa hisses. “What are you doing here? My roommate is still here and-”  
“Who’s that?”Clarke’s raspy voice sends shivers down Lexa’s spine. She whips around to face Clarke in a panic. It is completely unfair because Clarke is so beautiful it hurts. Perhaps breathing isn’t needed after all. Her breath has been completely stolen by Clarke, just in her sweats and a hoodie.  
“Uh… I don’t know-”  
“Lexa’s friend.”  
Niylah and Clarke answer simultaneously, and Clarke quirks an eyebrow dubiously. “Wow. Your poor friend doesn’t even get a title.” Clarke steps forward with her signature bright smile and puts out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Clarke, Lexa’s roommate.”  
Lexa has never seen Niylah laugh in the entire time that she has worked for Titus, but she chooses that exact second to laugh at Clarke’s humor. Lexa feels an itch. She doesn’t like this interaction and wishes Niylah would just go. It’s not that Niylah is a bad person, it’s just because she doesn’t want to hear what Titus has to say today. Yes, that is definitely the only reason.  
“I’m Niylah.” She takes Clarke’s hand and if you were there, you would’ve seen Lexa trying to shoot lasers out of her eyes to bore a hole through Niylah.  
“I didn’t even know Lexa had friends until the other day, she’s so quiet. So what brings the ever mysterious friend to our dorm?” Clarke questions, beckoning Niylah in with a wave of her hand.  
Just like that Lexa discovers that she doesn't like being excluded when Niylah just walks past her into the dorm room. Lexa huffs and closes the door, turning around to lean on it and cross her arms with a scowl. She somewhat resembles a lost baby duckling. Agitated, looking out of place, and doesn’t quite know what to do with herself.   
Niylah plops herself onto the small, old, sagging couch in the corner of the room as if it’s her own place. “I’m just here to remind Lexa of her meeting tomorrow.” She pauses and smiles conspiratorially at Clarke. “Somebody’s gotta make sure she’s trying to get her life straight.”  
Offended does not even describe Lexa’s state of emotions currently. She does not need anybody, especially not Niylah helping her “get her life straight”. Her life is perfectly fine. Plus, when has Lexa ever done anything that is remotely straight?  
Clarke pouts, her full lips jutting out in a way that makes the beauty mark above her lip twitch upward. Lexa’s stomach flipped. “Aww dang. I guess I don’t even have an excuse to attempt to drag Lexa to tomorrow night’s party. I don’t suppose you’re interested in coming?”  
“A college party? I’m pretty sure I could make time for that… if you’re the one asking.” Niylah has the audacity to wink at Clarke.

-0-

Clarke wakes up groggily, her arms hanging off the bed awkwardly. Unwittingly, she rolls over and flops onto the floor with an oomph. She stares at the ceiling as her head pounds in a hangover.  
Lexa’s glasses framed face pokes into her area of vision above her. She has this knowing look on her face as she silently reaches her hand out and helps Clarke up so that she leans against the bed frame. She thrusts out a cardboard cup. “I’m not so good at making coffee, but here’s some tea to help that hangover.”  
Clarke eyes the cup. She’s definitely not a tea type of person.  
“I didn’t poison it”, Lexa adds softly.  
Clarke cautiously takes a sip of it. She is pleasantly surprised. Coffee was still preferred, but she could get used to the taste of tea. It wasn’t as bitter as she remembered it to be. Perhaps that was because of how Lexa had made it though.  
Thinking through the fog, she tries to examine Lexa, but she avoids Clarke’s eyes. She isn’t sure if she imagines the slight blush. Lexa murmurs, “I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.”  
Somehow this simple phrase that would mean nothing coming from somebody else made Clarke feel warm inside. Clarke was never the blushing type but then she met Lexa. “Thank you”, she breathes out, and Lexa’s eyes lift to meet hers. Green eyes that speak a thousand repressed words. She wants so badly to know what is hidden behind that barrier, what Lexa was keeping back.  
Then Lexa pulls away just as suddenly, a cruel mask going back into place. The cruelness that she would crush such an amazing wealth of emotion. “Of course, Clarke.” The K clicks on her tongue as she grabs her coat. “I’m going out now. Remember to drink that tea.”

-0-

Anya is infuriatingly calm.  
“Niylah even carried Clarke on her back to the dorm room!”Lexa cried, throwing her hands up in the air to emphasize her point. If the floor was any less sturdy, Lexa would’ve paced a hole in the floor already.  
Her best friend glances up from her phone. “You do realize that’s what a good date would do? Or have you not gone on a date so long that you’ve forgotten that too?” Anya points out, stretching out lazily over the back of her couch as she yawns as if this is the most boring conversation to ever behold.  
To her surprise, her ribbing doesn’t even worm itself into Lexa’s brain. Lexa just looks at her and blinks, her green eyes staring as if the most brilliant lightbulb has turned on. “Yeah. It has been too long. Do you want to go out to a party tonight?”  
Anya, rolls over and falls off the couch with a yelp and a thud. She becomes a tangle of limbs between her coffee table and couch. “Wait what?”   
Lexa stares back at her. “Clarke mentioned another party tonight earlier this week. Let’s go party.” She says, as if that is completely normal behavior for college Lexa.  
A grin splits Anya’s face. Picking herself up the floor, she starts dragging Lexa towards the extra closet and simultaneously typing on one hand with her phone, “Hell yeah. The gang’s coming back! Watch out, singles here we come!” They dive head first into the walk in closet of black clothes with an occasional flash of dark red. Anya picks up a pair of high heeled boots, considers it and wrinkles her nose. “Nope.” She chucks it over her shoulder and Lexa has to dodge like a ninja to avoid getting nailed in the head.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I just called my own self out on posting about clexa and lexa all the time. Also, Perry is the best.


End file.
